By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez for CoinWeek.com …..
Searching through $25 in penny rolls still feels like a treasure hunt you can do from home. A standard bank box gives you 50 rolls and 2,500 one-cent coins. So, you get plenty of chances to find Lincoln Wheat Cents, Indian Head Cents, notable die varieties, and other surprises.
This time, I opened the box with modest expectations. Penny roll searching remains hit or miss. One box can deliver an Indian Head Cent, a handful of Wheat Cents, and an interesting variety or two. Another box can produce almost nothing. Even so, I wanted to see what this search would reveal.
What I Found Right Away
My previous box had delivered nothing but bright 2016 Lincoln Cents. So, this box felt promising from the start. Older Lincoln Memorial Cents showed up on the ends of almost every roll.
I moved quickly through the first few rolls. By the end of roll two, I had already found a worn 1946 Philadelphia Lincoln Wheat Cent. That early hit set the tone for the rest of the search.
The Wheat Cents Made the Search Worthwhile
In the end, I found 12 Wheat Cents in all 2,500 pennies. That works out to about one Wheat Cent for every 208 coins.
That average beat my last major search. In that earlier hunt, I found four Wheat Cents in 1,000 pennies, or one for every 250 coins. Even so, both results trailed the pace I saw in the mid-1990s. My old notes show about one Wheat Cent for every 125 pennies back then, or roughly two per five rolls.
The oldest Wheat Cent in this box dated to 1926. The rest included 1936, 1941, 1944-D, a corroded 1945-D, the 1946 piece, 1951-D, 1953, 1954-D, and three 1958-D cents. The 1945-D had the roughest life. However, the other coins showed honest wear and pleasing medium-to-dark brown color.
Seven Canadian Cents Added More Variety
This box also held seven Canadian cents. I found pieces dated 1955, 1966, 1977, 1982, 1997, and 1998. I also pulled an 1867-1967 Canadian Confederation commemorative cent with Alex Colville’s rock dove on the reverse. The Royal Canadian Mint confirms that special 1967 design. It also marked my first circulation find of that type.
The 1955 cent stood out the most. It carried Mary Gillick’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. I checked it carefully for the scarce No Shoulder Fold variety. Elizabeth II acceded to the throne in 1952, and her coronation followed on June 2, 1953. My coin showed the more common Shoulder Fold variety, which the Bank of Canada Museum also records for 1955 cents.
By 1997, the Royal Canadian Mint had changed the cent to copper-plated zinc. So, the 1997 and 1998 Canadian cents in this box counted among the zinc-based coins rather than the copper-based pieces.
The 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents Came Up Short
I found only nine 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents. Seven showed the Formative Years in Indiana design, with Lincoln seated on a log and reading. I found one Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky cent with the log cabin. I also found one Presidency in Washington, DC cent, which shows the Capitol dome under construction. I did not find the Professional Life in Illinois design in this box. The U.S. Mint confirms all four official 2009 reverse themes and notes that the series marked both Lincoln’s 200th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent.
That low 2009 count caught my attention. In fact, no date from 1982 or later appeared less often in the box. I suspect many people saved these cents because the four reverse designs stood out in circulation.
Copper-Based Lincoln Memorial Cents Still Matter
Another highlight came from the 336 copper-based Lincoln Memorial Cents dated 1959 through 1981. That span begins with the first year of the Lincoln Memorial reverse in 1959. It ends with 1981, the last full year before the Mint completed its shift to copper-plated zinc cents in 1982. The Lincoln Memorial reverse itself ran from 1959 through 2008.
At first glance, none of those earlier Memorial cents showed the big varieties collectors usually chase, such as the 1969-S doubled die or the 1972 doubled die. Still, I did pull six no-question Full Red Uncirculated coins: 1963-D, 1970, 1970-D, 1972, 1978-D, and 1981.
Many collectors save pre-1982 Lincoln cents for their copper content. However, current federal regulations still prohibit melting one-cent coins, with only narrow exceptions. So, for now, collectors can save them, study them, and trade them, but they cannot lawfully melt them for metal recovery.
The Indian Head Cent Still Has Not Appeared
I should also note what I did not find. I still did not pull an Indian Head Cent from circulation. After more than 25 years of searching rolls and pocket change, that coin continues to evade me.
Even so, the hunt continues. That missing coin keeps penny roll searching fun.
Sorting the 1982 Transitional Cents
Next came the 47 pennies dated 1982. That year matters because the U.S. Mint changed the cent from a mostly copper alloy to copper-plated zinc. Collectors recognize seven standard 1982 business-strike varieties. The two weight standards make the composition shift easy to confirm. Mostly copper pieces weigh 3.11 grams. Zinc pieces weigh 2.5 grams.
I did not have a scale on hand for this search. So, I used the drop test that Lincoln cent specialist Chuck Daughtrey shared with me years ago while I worked on a CoinWeek feature about 1982 cents. In simple terms, a copper 1982 cent tends to ring, while a zinc piece lands with a flatter click or thud. A scale offers the cleaner test. Even so, the sound check helped sort the group in a pinch.
Out of the 47 cents dated 1982, only eight sounded like zinc pieces. The other 39 checked out as copper. That result felt high. Then again, it may make sense. Many people know older cents contain copper, but fewer collectors know how to separate the 1982 pieces by composition. Meanwhile, zinc cents often corrode, blister, or spot more quickly in circulation. So, copper 1982 cents may survive and stand out more often than many collectors expect.
I would not draw a sweeping conclusion from one box. Still, I would watch every 1982 cent carefully. That date includes multiple mainstream varieties, and it also includes many doubled dies and other anomalies.
Zinc Cents Dominated the Box
Most coins in the box came from the zinc era. In all, I counted 2,120 zinc-based cents. That group broke down this way:
- 1,266 circulated brown Lincoln Memorial Cents dated 1983-2008
- 807 Lincoln Shield Cents dated 2010 and later
- 28 Red Brilliant Uncirculated Lincoln Memorial Cents dated 1983-2000
- 9 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents from 2009
- 8 zinc 1982 Lincoln Cents
- 2 Canadian cents dated 1997 and 1998
The zinc coins did not produce any obvious major errors or dramatic die varieties. So, from that angle, the box felt ordinary. Still, a few dozen of the 1983-2000 cents showed enough original luster to justify saving them as nice Brilliant Uncirculated pieces.
The zinc coins also told another story. Most of them looked rough. Many showed discoloration, corrosion, spotting, or other surface problems. Even the newer Lincoln Shield cents often looked older than they should. The Union Shield reverse only debuted in 2010, yet many examples already show hard circulation wear or environmental damage. The U.S. Mint identifies the Union Shield as the permanent reverse introduced in 2010.
Final Thoughts on This Penny Roll Search
By the end of the 50th roll, I still had not found that elusive Indian Head Cent. Even so, I finished the hunt satisfied. This box yielded roughly 360 keepers, including Wheat Cents, bronze Lincoln Memorial Cents, and Canadian cents.
So, yes, I plan to head back to the bank and try another box soon. Somewhere out there, an Indian Head Cent still waits in circulation. And until I find it, the search continues.
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I went to the bank and asked for a box of pennies and they said we can pull 50 rolls but they are not in a box. I said okay, I’ll take them. I found two indian head pennies. One was really good detail (1899) and one was worn (1885). I mainly search for cooper pennies and wheat pennies. I also got 12 wheat pennies. The oldest was 1936. However since the new zinc coins are deteoriating fast I also keep all BUs and also check the wide am and closed am coins.
I called the bank today and askedthem to order a box of pennies and they put an order in for me. I am hoping I get all uncirculated 2017 p coins since everyone is hoarding them.
So yes there are still some indian head pennies to be found.
What makes the 2017 P worth hoarding?
Wow, this actually encouraged me to do more penny roll hunting. I’m 11, and I’ve been collecting pennies ever since I was, well, 11… which is 4 months – not long. I’m starting to get pretty serious at searching for rare pennies, so I’m glad I found this article. The first wheat penny I found was a 1946, which is still the oldest I have. I’ve currently searched 56 rolls of pennies. When I got my first box of pennies, I found absolutely ZERO wheat pennies. Around 25% were 2017 pennies, 25% was 2010-2016, and 50% was 1959-2009. The results were disappointing, but I didn’t lose all my hope, because I found 2 wheat pennies in 6 rolls before, so I they couldn’t be TOO rare. But thanks for writing this. It encouraged me to continue penny hunting. Can’t wait to see what treasures are waiting for me in my next box.
When I was a kid my dad used to go to the bank and get $50.00 bags of circulated cents. This was between 1952 and 1966 when he passed. He found every Lincoln cent needed to fill a blue book of pennies.
That included the 1909S, 1909S VDB, 1914S, 1914D, 1931S and a 1955 DD(very poor coin)
He also had 3 nearly complete sets
He also built a good collection of .90 coins by getting bulk from the bank and at silent auctions at his favorite coin store.
Guess whose job it was to re-roll those pennies? When the Kennedy half came out, he had me go to the bank & buy 6 rolls with the BU halves. The earliest proof set he got from the mint was 1954.
This must have been a Golden age of coin collecting.
Hi! I’m from the Philippines. I have a 1978 D Lincoln penny. And it has an error on its D mark and at the word United States of America on the back is slightly punch, instead of the word “e pluribus” only e.luribus is visible. I wonder if this means anything regarding coin collections and if this worth something?
You may have a filled die. They might be worth 50 cents. But it is a neat error to find.
I like to go to the bank and search for pennies myself but unfortunately in Grand Island Nebraska if you do not have an account with banks you are not allowed to get pennies…. I don’t know how many banks I have been to that will not give me pennies because I do not have an account I think this is wrong
In California Chase will sell you coin box up to 100$ without being a customer , over that they do require to have an account , Bank of America well them guys won’t unless you a customer. Wellsfargo I don’t know since I’m a customer with them and Bank Of America , but my best founds were from Chase boxes
@Arlan….
I would definitely hold onto that coin, and get some good close up pictures of it, both sides. My wife is from Aklan and Manila. I got her into coin roll searching during the past year. For some reason, she always gets rolls that have a lot of goodies in them. She must be just plain old lucky. We live in the USA.
i have been sorting pennys for at least ten years. i have saved just over 300000 of the copper ones lots of wheats . in all those years and pennys looked at only 3 indian heads but just last week i got 2 .i belive they were putinto curulation by a national coin collecror group to liven up coin collecting
I just recently about a yr ago started collecting I’ve found some pretty old coins but unfortunately they were stolen so I had to start all over again…I haven’t got to the buying rolls and rolls at a time just checking through loose change I get from the stores or I’ll see someone trading change for bills I’ll step in…well the most recent one I’ve found is I believe a 1918 wheat cent no mint mark…1948 S wheat cent…1949 D wheat cent…and one more which is very unusual never seen anything like it…it kind of looks like someone may have done it but the way it looks and feels DOSENT look like they could have got it perfectly smooth around the edge…on the front face there is no face or any lettering other then WE and RTY in Liberty and a silhouette of Abe…you gotta see it to understand…
I was wondering if it was possible to still find indian heads in bank rolled pennies , I’m going through my 10th box of pennies and nothing lol , I do find a lot of 1960s-70s in almost great condition and shinny , are they worth keeping separate from the regular darkened copper pennies . I also found a 1981 copper penny that looks more yellowish than anything else, any thoughts ?
Thanks
I found a 1946 penny and have tried to find out why one side is old and other is brand new. I could send you a pick as this is a strange coin Thanks
I just found a 1982 Denver Mint small date copper Lincoln Memorial Cent
I found a 1940 wheat penny with an obvious error underneath the e in the word one on the back of the penny. I cant find the error documented anywhere. Does anyone know anything about this?
The error looks like punched lettering . Id really appreciate feedback and would gladly sent a photo of thd coin.ty
I found a 1975 D that’s silver looking.
Zero red. Looks a a steel penny but is not magnetic. Any clues?
There is a alluminium 1974.But is illegal to possess.
Over the last couple winter months I’ve check through 50 bank boxes ( 125000 coins ) of cents. Your box search is close to what I’m getting per box. I also like that you counted all the different types. Here’s my numbers …
Linc Wheat 412
Linc Mem ’59 = ’81 17715
1982 2305 ( 1172 copper, 1133 zinc )
Linc Mem ’83 – 2008 62387
2009 529
Linc Shield 41397
Canadian 230
Indian Head 15
Circulated Proof 2
2014 D w/o plating 1
P Mint Token 1
Other Foreign 6
——————————————-
125000
Used a mechanical grain scale to weigh all 1982’s … 1 gram = 15.4323584 grains … 7000 grains = 1 lb,
copper cent weighs 48 grains, zinc cent weighs 38.6 grains. Have a further break-down of 82’s and 2009’s
if anybody interested.
I have been doing penny box searching for years and have only found one indian head cent many of other rare finds and i enjoy every box i do good or bad its the search and knot knowing what i may find that makes it fun.but for everyone out there over the years i have bought lots of indian head cents and i will send one now and them back with cents i just went though in hopes that someone will find them that never have found one and that may have been what took place with the one i found i put a small little mark on mine when i do it so if latter i get it back ill know but so far i havent got any back good luck and maybe if someone has 5 or 6 of same year they will do this to so others can find one just a thought
Can’t wait to get to the bank and start penny roll treasure hunting. Thanks for such a fun article.
A modern day treasure hunt.
I love searhing.Its been a while
always fun searching for that gem. and a thrill when you find one.
I think Ill try going to the bank and see I come up with.
I have done this for years with results comparable to what others have described. Now I can’t get boxes or even single rolls anymore.
I love to look through rolls. My dad got me into collecting at an early age, and not much beats the thrill of opening a roll, and seeing older coins.
So neat!
I really like this idea. Im gone try it.
Great article!
I remember the days when we could find several wheats and 1943’s in a box of 50. I miss those days.
Interesting article. He was able to find a few old wheat cents.
Seriously? You’re rerunning this now? Now, when you can’t order a box of cents from ANY bank or credit union ANYWHERE anymore? Lazy writers and editors is what this retired journalist sees. This site’s legitimacy just got knocked down several pegs.
Yes we reposted this now. Every week CoinWeek gets email and call from collectors who are still seaching rolls and albums etc for varieties, errors and betterdates. And one thing they have said is that it hardthem, but you can still get boxes of pennies from some larger banks. But that is part of the hunt as well, isn’t it. Sorry if you feel that our article selection process leveves something to be desired. But I can assure you that one thing we are not, is lazy!
I am always on the hunt for collectible coins too.
I found a 1912 penny but nothing too spectacular
A friend has a 3 pound coffee can of wheats he got back in the late 80s while working at a convenience store. Guy wanted gas in the wee hours of the morning and had the can almost full. Friend paid for the gas and some other stuff for him in exchange for the can of pennies. Also had people come in and pay for gas with silver coins which he swapped out for his own money when that happened. Said this only happened on night shift to him.
Nice article. I don’t know if any of the banks here have penny rolls. This article does encourage me to go through the pennies that I have.
Amused by the notion of a penny cozy as suggested by the header photo…
I have a few Indian head pennies that I love! I also have tons of half dollar pieces and 2 dollar bills my grandpa used to give me.
I can still get boxed pennies from my credit union. Been doing it for years. My favorite teller keeps a box under her feet waiting for me to come in at the beginning of the month.